This morning marks a new era in Atlanta traffic. For the first time in 20 years, there will be no toll collected on Ga. 400 during a morning rush hour. With much celebration, the final toll was collected at 11:25 am Friday morning by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal.
“I made a promise that the tolls would end when the bond debt was paid and I am proud to stand here today to mark the end of that debt, and the fulfillment of that commitment,” Deal said. “I am happy to announce that Ga. 400 motorists can now keep their change.”
The final toll was paid by Mike and Linda Weinroth, who paid the first toll on the road Aug. 1, 1993. The final toll was paid with two quarters; one from 1993 and one from 2013. Twenty five cent bookends to one of the biggest pet peeves of Atlanta motorists.
So, tolls will no longer be collected, now what? Well, for the short term, the area around toll plaza becomes an active construction zone. That means lowered speed limits for drivers traveling north and south on Ga. 400.
Instead of driving through the actual tolls, commuters will now use to former “Cruise Card” lanes. They have been re-stripped to allow three lanes of travel in each direction. That means as you head down Ga. 400 southbound this morning, you will need to stay to left side of the road where the cruise lanes have been transformed into normal travel lanes. This afternoon, heading north of Ga. 400, you will again need to stay to the left side of the road.
The changes should be clearly marked, and I don’t see there being any big issues for the drive this week. As word spreads about the toll no longer being collected, the question becomes, will traffic get any worse on Ga. 400 between Interstate 285 and Interstate 85? I think as long as the “destruction” of the Toll Plaza continues, and the construction of the new permanent travel lanes begins, we won’t see a huge influx of drivers on the road through Buckhead. Even though the trip is now free, how many people want to drive through an active construction zone?
Once the project is completed in the Fall 2014, I do think we will see a bump in traffic volume. State authorities expect an increase of about 10 percent in traffic and I think that is a fair assessment.
It remains to be seen how many people avoided using Ga. 400 because of the tolls. Lauren Johnson, my colleague at WSB Radio, told me on Friday that she took Ga. 400 to work for the first time ever, because there was no longer a toll. Is she the exception or the rule? That remains to be seen. If there are a lot of people like her though, we might actually see traffic improve on roads like Roswell Road and Chamblee Dunwoody Road that people used instead of Ga. 400.
In the meantime, enjoy the free ride, but please watch your speed as the construction crews remain working on the toll demolition.
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